What is a Position Paper? + List of Great Position Paper Topics

A position paper is an important part of academia all over the students. It is a common practice where students write a well-structured and a well-constructed argument. The common position paper definition is that it is the type of paper where one has to read about a topic and then discuss the concern in detail. More often, the writer is expected to read a number of issues and concerns and then choose one area in particular and focus their paper on it. The main goal of the position essay is that as a well-researched writer, you need to defend the stated position you have over the particular issue. Additionally, you need to display the stance you support in compared to other ones. The position paper structure is created in a way where the writer expresses the thesis statement in a way that displays the entire claim they are making in addition to the evidence and reasons to support their argument. 

An important aspect of writing a good position paper is that you need to choose a side and stick to it. It can be whatever is the stance that you support in actuality. As long as you have supporting evidence and references to build the case, you are good to go. In a position paper, you need different forms of evidence. It can be statistics, opinions and facts. This evidence allows the readers to understand the position you have chosen. Collectively, this is why you need to ensure that you have researched thoroughly and collected valid evidence for the position paper. Using Critical Thinking writing techniques will help to use some tips to find out the topic ideas for example and much more.

In the position paper, you need to ensure that you focus on displaying the following skills:

• Researching the internet and the library for accurate sources
• Going for a strong organizational strategy
• Using the right sources with referencing still
• Making citations and in-text citations
• Making claims and supporting the positions
• Gathering information from the numerous readings regarding the issue you wish to highlight and discuss

Now let’s look into the purpose of the position paper. The purpose of the position you write needs to argue the position you are raising. To do that, you need to read and reflect at least two articles and cite them throughout the position paper. You need to show your stance by sharing the views of the authors. With respect to the audience, you need to keep in mind that the readers will be from academia. It might be those who are well-aware of the issue you are discussing and therefore you need to ensure that you follow the right standards of writing the position paper.

How to write a good position paper?

In the next step, we will talk about the strategies you need to focus on when writing the position paper:

• You to focus on defining the issue narrowly on the basis of at least two or more readings. Be specific with the issue and mention it in your thesis. An important strategy to keep in mind is that you need to introduce the issue at the beginning of the discussion. This ensures the audience to be aware of what you are going to be talking about.
• You then need to start with developing your argument. This happens by defending and demonstrating the claim through the sources. You will need to show this by adding the work of the authors. Your evidence needs to be clearly stated and it has to be relevant. All the reasons you show need to resonate with logic. You can also share personal experiences in the paper to show the audience how invested you are, at a personal level, to the topic.
• The next step you need to keep in mind is to how to organize the paper. This is another effective strategy that will reflect strongly on the paper. The organization of the paper should be in a way that makes it easy for everyone to read. The flow of the paper needs to be coherent.
• All the work from outside sources needs to be cited. Normally, for a position paper, you need MLA referencing style.
• Your writing style needs to be free from grammatical and spelling errors. Furthermore, it needs to be relevant to the audience, it should be readable and clear.

Now we will talk about the topic selection. The position of your paper should be based on the topic as per your research. Your position and topic need to be up for the challenge, which is why be mindful when picking up the topic. You need to make sure that you do your research on the topic before finalizing it. Like you do with topics for capstone project, keep a few topics in mind, research on them and go for the one which you feel can be the best for you to argue on. If you have a topic in mind which is close to you on a personal level, you can go for it as well as long as you find supporting material for the paper. Be it a complex or a simple topic, you need to construct logical and sound arguments around it.

Topics for position papers

1. Gender and Racial Discrimination in Workforce

You can write a paper about gender and racial discrimination that can examine the sort of discrimination in a field such as engineering, medicine, law enforcement and such. You can talk about the changes or the current laws that reflect on discrimination.

2. Sexual Harassment

This is a broad topic that always requires attention. You can talk about sexual harassment in workplaces, universities and any other organization you have in mind. You can also narrow the topic down to a specific country or region and reflect on it.

3. Birth Control and Insurance

Birth control is a controversial topic in many parts of the world, especially the ones which have right-wing and religious roots. Additionally, you can also talk about the role of the government in the insurance mandate of its citizens.

4. Torture During War

There is a school of thought that states that using torture to get information out of the prisoners of the war is inhumane and cruel. While the other school of thought states that it is necessary to have a war to protect the citizens of a country. You can choose a side and state your paper on it.

5. Government Surveillance

Should citizens allow the government to monitor the conversations such as emails, calls and social media activities? How much surveillance is a lot? Should surveillance be a national subject/security? Would you think this is a breach of privacy? Choose a side and then write a position paper.

6. Border Security

Border security is an interesting topic if you want to write a well-structured position paper. The most recent aspect on this topic is the United States of America and their notion to build the wall with Mexico. You can even choose this topic and talk about whether there is a need to increase security protocols and build the war or not.

7. Sex Offenders and Punishment

You can talk about the laws and the enforcement for the current laws regarding sex offenders. You can state whether you find them effective or not, whether they are doing well to the society or not. You can then form a conclusion on the research.

8. Children and Vaccinations

People argue that children and newborns should not be vaccinated and that their bodies should fight against any disease naturally. They find these vaccinations dangerous and believe that in the future can lead to complications and such. However, vaccinations have also proven to be important for the growth and health of children all over the world.

9. Medical Use of Marijuana

Using marijuana for medical reasons has been in debate for a long time. While some countries have legalized it, others are still debating whether it needs to be done or not. Marijuana is regarded as a harmful drug in many parts of the world, yet it has proven to be efficient in treating many illnesses as well. Choose a side, research and do your position paper on it.

Ready to write a position paper?

Now you know position paper definition and are familiar with several perspective essay topics. Writing a position paper is an interesting assignment that allows the students to choose a topic of their choice and then create arguments as per their views. If you find it difficult, you can always reach out to the Writing Mieter and hire us for your position essay and we will get the job done for you!